Media Matters, Think Progress, et al. obviously forgot about Alinsky Rule 4 when they went all out to target Rush; but that’s par for the course for the Leftie noise machine. I suppose it’s easy to do so when all you care about is silencing dissent.

That aside, it’s hard to tell how much heat Maher is actually feeling over all this. HBO experienced serious subscriber declines last year. Their situation improved soon after, adding 190,000 subscribers during the last quarter of 2011.

I don’t know what their current numbers look like. We probably won’t know till later this year. The economy has hit the pay TV industry hard, but I have the feeling the number of angry conservatives who used to be HBO subscribers has to amount to several thousands. And that can’t be good for HBO.

Given that HBO has become the non-news equivalent of MSNBC (and have they ever!) I can only see the ideology-fueled subscriber flight continuing. I mean, it’s not like HBO is done with programming that skewers conservatives…or Sarah Palin.

George Orwell’s seminal literary work 1984 could be getting a new movie adaptation.

Imagine Entertainment, the production house run by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, and LBI Entertainment, the banner run by Julie Yorn, are teaming up to develop a new take on the 20th century classic.

Shepard Fairey, the street artist perhaps best known for creating the Barack Obama “Hope” poster, was instrumental in bringing the project to Imagine and LBI and might take some sort of producer role once the deals shake out.

Imagine and Fairey were pursuing Orwell’s estate for the rights to 1984 and discovered that Yorn was simultaneously pursuing the rights. The two companies then decided to pair up.

That’s right: we may soon see in screens big and small a movie that could very well be advertised as “From the Dishonest Propagandist Who Brought You the Obama ‘Hope’ Poster.”

There’s something very fitting about a dishonest propagandist pushing for a whole new 1984 movie, but coming from Obama booster Ron Howard and Shepard Fairey, this project might amount to – if it’s ever produced – a version of 1984 that would make George Orwell spin in his grave.

Who knows?  Maybe Orwell, forward-thinking as he was, would do no more than shrug and say “They’re Obama supporters.  What did you expect?“

I had the feeling someone sooner or later would excuse Maher’s conduct towards female conservative politicians in this manner.  In fact, I’m surprised he didn’t do it himself earlier (I guess he’s starting to feel the heat of Alinsky Rule 4 now).

But this isn’t much of a defense or excuse, as far as such things go.  After all, what Maher is ultimately getting across here is that there are circumstances under which misogynist hate is perfectly acceptable (and – unfortunately and evidently – many a Leftie would agree).

Then again, that’s precisely what is implied by his conduct towards Sarah Palin and Michelle Bachmann – and by anyone who’s ever given Maher a pass for it: it’s ok to hate some women.

Contrast with the reaction to Rush and one can only conclude that all the Fluke vs. Rush brouhaha is not about respect.  It’s about silencing dissenting voices.

In other words, it’s not a double standard.  It’s the party line.

*I’ll leave the implications of distinguishing people in militaristic terms for others to ponder; but, if I remember well, Lefties frown on the use of violent imagery in political rhetoric…except when they don’t.

UPDATE: David Axelrod is also feeling the heat of Alinsky Rule 4.  The result is about as non-sensical and pathetic as Maher’s excuse.  You could say the ‘War On Women’ has jumped the shark…

Cross-posted at The Rhetorican.

Here’s a brief In Memoriam from Andrew’s very own BigHollywood; and a longer piece from what is essentially one of Andrew’s hometown newspapers, The Hollywood Reporter.

I never met the man, but he was an inspiration.    The dextrosphere revolution Andrew helped kickstart just a few years ago has grown to become an established alternative to the Old Guard press and Leftie websites.  He was instrumental in its rise.  And for that many Americans owe him a debt of gratitude.

The dextrosphere will most certainly live on, but we shall never forget the feistiness; the strategic and tactical brilliance; and the leadership Andrew brought into it – and that he so generously shared with the Tea Party movement and all liberty-loving people across America.

Farewell, Happy Warrior!  Your warrior spirit will keep on fighting in all of us.

UPDATE: And make sure to read Roger Simon’s lovely eulogy, too.

The Dictator is a spoof about the “heroic story of a Middle Eastern dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy never comes to the country he so lovingly oppressed”. Whether the fact that the 84th Academy Awards will be beamed into 200 countries had anything to do with this ban is unclear. But an Oscars spokesperson acknowledged to Deadline yesterday: ”We would hope that every studio knows that this is a bad idea. The Red Carpet is not about stunting.” Oh really? then why did Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park crossdress down the Red Carpet as J-Lo and Gwyneth Paltrow in evening gowns in 2000? Or Ben Stiller appear as an Oscar presenter in full blue Avatar makeup and hair in 2010?

It’s about the right stunting.  Everybody knows the only political leaders you can mock at the Oscars have to be Republican.  And I bet you a trip to Los Angeles that the show’s script on Sunday will include at least one jab at the GOP primary contenders…or at least one mocking reference to tonight’s GOP debate…or both!

UPDATE: Academy denies.

LATEST (Feb. 23, 2012 at 5:26 PM MST): The matter is far from resolved, but it’s starting to be fun.

MORE: (Feb. 24, 2012 at 10:21am MST): General Alladeen addresses the Academy: “I Applaud The Academy For Taking Away My Free Speech”.

(Cross-posted at The Rhetorican)

Democrats are beholden to Hollywood, while Hollywood isn’t finished trying to make SOPA a reality.  And if Nancy Pelosi really means it when she says that they are going to have to “get a compromise” on SOPA, you can be sure that what will be compromised will be Internet Freedom; and not Hollywood’s IP agenda.

For better or worse, if we want Internet Freedom, we must maintain a robust Republican presence on Capitol Hill.  The SOPA war isn’t over.  It’s just getting started.

Cross-posted at The Rhetorican.

Congratulations, FNC.  I don’t watch like I used to, but I still catch a little Greta after work – and Red Eye on my DVR every now and then.

As for the Media Matters snark, I can’t help to note – as I have in the past – that if Media Matters thinks Fox News is the reason why the Left can’t get its message out, the problem is probably the message.  The fact is Fox News is watched on average by  less than 2,000,000 people a month.  That’s less than 1% of the U.S. population.

(Cross-posted at The Rhetorican)

Hawaii’s legislature is weighing an unprecedented proposal to curb the privacy of Aloha State residents: requiring Internet providers to keep track of every Web site their customers visit.  Its House of Representatives has scheduled a hearing this morning on a new bill requiring the creation of virtual dossiers on state residents. The measure, H.B. 2288, says “Internet destination history information” and “subscriber’s information” such as name and address must be saved for two years.

Note also that Hawaii’s Senate majority whip – Democrat Jill Tokuda – had this to say: “I was asked to introduce the Senate companions on these Internet security related bills by Representative Kymberly Marcos Pine after her own personal experience in this area.”

Might Kymberly Pine’s “experience in this area” have anything to do with speech and political sentiments she’d like to monitor or outright curb?

SOPA, PIPA, and now this.  Will other states follow?  Never underestimate our elected officials when it comes to curtailing your freedom…

UPDATE: Incidentally, Pine is a Republican.  Her ardent accuser and web tormentor is not exactly popular.  Sounds like someone wants to perform a little surgery with a machete here.

(Cross-posted at Rhetorican.com)

The movie tells the story of the African American pilots of the Tuskegee Airmen training program, who fought for their country over the skies of Europe.   And still, over the course of 23 years, Lucas could not find a single one of the Hollywood studios that would be interested in the project.  Did the studio gatekeepers deem the material not “marketable” enough?  Lucas certainly seems to think the studios saw the African American cast as a liability.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Ultimately, the Wizard of Skywalker Ranch had to put his money where his mouth is, which – of course – he has done before.  But even after making the movie with his own cash, he still encountered studio rejection as he sought a studio partner that would help him bring the film to audiences:

I financed the movie myself and went to the studios to distribute it and nobody wanted it…They just didn’t feel there was enough of an audience out there for it… I said “Okay, put in more money and let’s do it ourselves.”

Hopefully the big studios don’t think that depicting African American men fighting against European fascism in World War II  simply makes for something incomprehensible.

Red Tails opens January 20.  It stars Cuba Gooding Jr. and Terrence Howard; and was directed by Anthony Hemingway.

UPDATE: This post seems to have aroused some controversy.  Some clarification is required:  I don’t think Lucas was alluding to racism at the studios.  And I’m not either.  Seems to me Lucas sincerely believes the studios think investing in a big budget movie with an African American cast is not worth it, because such a movie would be harder for them to market and sell effectively.

The international appeal of a movie like this may actually be very small (which Lucas spells out in his interview with Jon Stewart, linked above).  And it’s a fact most studio product today makes most of its money overseas.  There are no major stars in it, after all, which makes the marketing and selling that much harder – in any territory.

And when I use the term “not ‘marketable’ enough” – the way I do above – racism certainly has nothing to do with it, either.  You need to click the link to find out what I actually mean.  It leads to my blog, where I in turn link to an excellent essay I found on GQ almost a year ago.  The essay is – in part – about a studio marketing department prejudice that is adversely affecting the quality of studio movies: the belief that you cannot make money on a film unless it’s based on some product or character that is pre-sold (which has led to so many remakes, sequels, and adaptations being released.)

Maybe the movie is just plain awful (a tad too Lucasy, perhaps?  He didn’t write it, which is to the project’s overall advantage); and that’s why Lucas was turned down.  But when was the last time a studio didn’t greenlight an awful movie?  And for those who believe studios passed because the story had already been told in an earlier movie, that’s usually not an issue – not at all – nor indicative of a bad movie, necessarily, either.  But that still doesn’t make me think ‘racism’.  It makes me think that Hollywood hates war movies, unless the antagonists are American.

Controversy aside, if you’d like to help the National WWII Museum in New Orleans finish its Red Tail project, you can donate here.

ANOTHER UPDATE: Related thoughts on Lucas, race, and culture from Ed Driscoll.

I had been waiting to see The Artist ever since it debuted at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.  Around that time, I found the trailer via a friend’s Facebook post.  It was captivating; but what really intrigued me about the movie wasn’t what the trailer hinted at, but what I knew for a fact was missing from the movie: The Artist is not only in black and white, but it’s also – for the most part – a silent movie.  This is not merely a clever gimmick concocted by writer/director Michel Hazanavicius, but a creative choice that – in his skilled hands – enhances the audience’s experience of the film.  For there is no easier way to enjoy a movie than to simply watch it: allowing the images to communicate the story to our retinas, which in turn transmit the story to our brain, without the additional step of interpreting dialogue interfering in the process: pure cinema.  All you have to do is watch.  And maybe listen to some incidental sound or an evocative film score.  It is a rare experience nowadays, when so many movies inform us with a voiceover or dialogue as to what is happening on the screen (something better suited for radio, I believe).

Click here to view the embedded video.

It takes a lot of skill to be able to write and direct pure cinema, so it’s understandable that movie audiences experience it so rarely.  Even silent movies had to resort to the occasional title card to communicate dialogue back in the day (as does The Artist). But a recent example that comes to mind is Pixar’s Wall-E – its first act, if not the whole movie, is sparse on dialogue and lacks any voiceover narration whatsoever.

But technique aside, The Artist is entertaining.  It’s fun to watch, funny and charming – and sometimes heartbreaking, as we follow fictional silent movie superstar George Valentin (personified by the perfectly cast Jean Dujardin) struggle to find a place for himself in the all-new movie industry that emerges as talkies become the norm in late 1920′s Hollywood.

Dujardin’s co-star is Bérénice Bejo, also perfectly cast as Peppy Miller, the ingenue who arrives in Hollywood at the right place and the right time – and who in a way owes her first big break to Valentin.

But there is more than just a good story here.  At its heart, The Artist is a meditation on loyalty, a theme you see the director exploring constantly – and not just in the main character’s delightful give-and-take with his dog – even in the darkest implications of the most insidious of loyalties: the inflexible loyalty to oneself that is pride.

Don’t let all the awards season hype turn you off (it ain’t hype if it’s true).  The Artist is a movie you’ll love to watch – and which you will not soon forget, whether you like artsy movies or not; whether you are a movie history buff or not.  The movie’s artsy side is largely in its execution: everything about it is beautiful – from its attention to detail to how it tells its story.  It simply works.  John Goodman, James Cromwell, and Penelope Ann Miller appear in supporting roles.